Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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~O 91/19656 PCr/GB91/0()~3
_PROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO REFUSE CONTAINERS
This invention relates to refuse containers, e.g. litter bins or
household dustbins.
It is known to line such a container with a disposable bag which
is held open by stretching its mouth over an upper edge of the
container. This can be difficult to achieve manually and may result
in an untidy appearance of the bin if ~he overlap is too great. The
bag is also prone to detachment from the container edge resulting in
penetration of refuse between the bag and the container.
It is also known to suspend the bag freely from-a fixed frame
which provides an edge over which the mouth of the bag is turned.
In this case slippage of the bag may result in spillage of refuse.
It is an object of the present invention to pro~ide a refuse
container in which th~e aforementioned disadvantages are obviated or
mitigated.
Accorcling to a first aspect of the present invention there is
provided a refuse container comprising a hollow body with an upper
access opening closed by a displaceable cover, and a bag suspension
frame carried by a body wali movable between a closed position in
which the frame is positioned below the access opening and an open
position in which the fraDne is exposed for bag replacement, said frame
having a movable frame element projecting away frorn the wall and the
body having internal surfaces for deflecting said frame element
upwardly during clo~iing movement and downwardly during opening
movement of the wall.
According to a second aspect of the present inves~tion there is
provided a refuse container comprising a supporting frame including
frame elements engageable with the mouth of a disposable bag and
movable relatively apart into a stable over-centre position in which
the bag mouth is held open in use.
The invention will now be further described by way of example
onlY with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which.-
Fig. l is a partly cut-away side view of a refuse container
with a refuse bag held in position by one embodiment of
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supporting frame in accoraance with the invention, ~he
right hand inset being a scrap sectional ~, ie~ on line A-
A of Fig. 2;
Fig. 2 is a~ corresponding plan view;
Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating the mode of
operation of the supporting frame:
Fig. 5 is a perspective view from the front and one side
of a swing-top refuse contair~er with an opening front
carrying a second embodiment of supporting frame in
accordance with the invention, and
Fig. 6 is a scrap view from the front and other side of
Fig. 5 looking upwardly into the body of the container.
Referring now to Figs. l to 4, a refuse container l (of the kind
intended to be mounted on a street cleaners' hand cart adjacent a like
container) is of generally square shape in plan with a downwardly
tapering body 2 integrally moulded in synthe~ic plastics material. The
open top of the ~ontainer l is closed by a lid ~not shown) resting on
the llpper edge 3. Si~le handles 4 are provided at opposite sides of
the container but form no part of the present invention. Slightly
below the edg~ 3 is an integrally mouldeld internal ledge 5 on which
rests a supporting frame 6 indicated in position in cham-dot line in
Figs. l a~d 2 and more clearly illustrated in the insets to those
Figures. The edge 3 and ledge 5 may have their bag-contacting
surfaces (see below) made of a resilient or high friction material. The
supportang frame 6 is of generally square shape conforming to, but
slightly smaller than, the edge 3. As seen in the right-hand inset to
Fig. l there is a slight clearance between the frame 6 and the edge 3.
The frame 6 is made in two symmetrical halves of galvanised steel
which are connected to each other and to the edge 3 by rivets 7 as
more clearly shown in the lower inset to Fig. 2 which shows the
overlapping ends of the halves of the frame 6. The rivets 7 permit
relative pivotal movement of the halves of the frame 6 between the
fully open position ill~lstrated in Figs. l, 2 and 4 and the collapsed or
folded position shown in Fig. 3. In the fully open position the frame
6 halves are in a stable over-centre position relative to the pivot
axis defined by the rivets 7, such arrangement tendîng to lock the
frame 6 into the open position.
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WO 91/19656 ~ 391/OOg34
In use, with the co~tainer l empty, the supporting fraille 6 is
used to suspend a refuse bag 8 from the edge 3 of the container l.
The refuse b~g 8 is of the kind commonly employed in such containers
being made of synthetic plastics material in a shape generallv
conforming to the interior of the container and having an openable
mouth which in a conventional arrangement would be stretched over
the edge 3. In the present case, however, the bag 8 is introduced into
the container l through the frame 6 and the mouth o~ the bag 8 is
then positioned over the frame 6 while the lat~er is in the upwardly
foldecl condition illustrated in Fig. 3. The frame 6 is then returned
to its fully open position illustrated in Fig. 4 so as to trap the upper
edge of the bag B between the frame 6 and the container edge 3 and
ledge 5 thereby holding the bag 8 in the suspended position (see
particularly the inset to the right of Fig. l). Not only is the bag 8
more secur~ly attached to the container but there is :no unsightly
protrusion of the bag from the container and in fact the bag cannot
be seen when the lid is in position. The frame positions illustrated
in Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrammatically represented at the top of Fig. l.
The line III-III indicates the folded condition and the line IV-IV the
fully open posi~ion of the frame 6. ~.t will be appreciated that
movement ~etween the two positions involves an over-centre toggle
action from an under-centre position III-:III through a centre position
indicated by line I-I and into a stable over-centre position IV-IV
whicn is shown ~iomewhat exaggerated in the drawing.
Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, a refuse container lO has an
access opening covered by a swing lid ll pivoted adjacent its upper
edge 12. Below the swing lid ll- the container lO has a generally
rectangular body 13 in which a refuse bag (not shown) is suspended
by a supporting frame 14 provided at the top of a front panel lS
which is hinged at its bottom edge so as to be movable from the
illustrated open position (in which it is restrained by removable
lateral restraints Z2 shown in chain-dot line) into a closed position
in which the panel 15 forms the front wall of the container-body 13.
The supporting frame l~ is constituted partly ~y a U-shaped
metal element 16 (similar to one of the halves of the supporting frame
6 of the first embodiment) which is pivoted at its free ends to lugs
17 integral with side cheeks 18 of the front panel 15. The top edges
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WO 91/l96~6 PCr/GB91/0093
of the side cheeks 18 slope downwardly and rearwardly when the panel
15 is upright (see the inset to Fig 5) In the open position of the
panel 15 the metal frame element 16 rests on the lower part of these
edges (position a of the inset to Fig 5). In this position the frame
element 16 is in a stable over-centre position ~orresponding to
position IV-IV in Fig. 1. The upper part of each edge is pro~rided with
z notch 19. When fitting a refuse bag the mouth of the bag at the
front thereof is positioned in these notches 19 with the metal frame
16 folded upwardly into the under-centre position b in the inset of
Fig. 5. When the metal frame 16 is then toggled back to the position
a the mouth of the bag is stretched open. Furthermore, the frame 16
in position a is inclined rearwardly and downwardly parallel to the
top edge of the side cheeks 18 so as to clear the top edge 20 of the
body opening whis:h is closed by the panel 15. As the panel 15 is
closed the leading edge of the frame 16 engages ramps 21 suitably
positioned internally of the side walls of the body 13 so as to deflect
the frame element 16 into the under-centre position c in the irlset of
~ig. 5 thereby maximising the height of the bag relative to the
available space within the body 13. Movement of the frame element 16
above the position c, with consequent relaxation and possible
detachment of the suspended bag, is pre~ented by the lower edge of
an internal surface 23 which also provides a guide sur~ace for
directing refuse from the access opening into the bag. During opening
movement of the panel 15 the upper edge 24 of the body opening
deflects the frame element 16 back into the stable over-centre
position a.
The engagement of the mouth of the bag with the frame 16 is
similar to that described in` the first embodiment i.e. the bag is
suspended within the frame element 16 and the upper edge of the bag
overlaps the frame 16 so as to be positioned and possibly trapped
between the frame 16 and the adjacent parts of the body 13 in use
For bag removal the front panel 15 is tilted open into the illustrated
position when the bag can easily be lifted out, if necessary by
pivoting the frame element 16 into the illustrated position b. In order
to facilitate cleaning of the body 13 the bottom hinges of the panel
15 are so designed that after removing the lateral r estraints 22 the
panel 15 may be lifted out of engagement with the body 13 so as to
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provide a clear front opening of the body 13.
It will be appreciated that modifications may be made without
departing from ~he scope of the invention. For example, in the first
embodiment the container may be of different shape, e.g. of circular
section as in the case of many household dustbins. Although the
toggle action is an essential feature of the first embodiment it may be
omitted in the second embodiment if the bag is not stretched o-Jer the
suspension frame ~o such an extent that the tension in the bag tends
to close the frame. In this ~ase the position a as well as the position
c (Fig. 5) may be under-centre positions.
